Monday, April 25, 2016

5 Ways to Use Baking Soda for Beauty

Baking soda is a very versatile ingredient when it comes to beauty. I also love that it can be found in your kitchen easily, which makes it perfect for DIY beauty treatments. If you've read some of my posts on natural beauty before then you know that I'm a huge fan of using food grade ingredients that you typically have on hand. Not only do I think it's great to use products that are more natural, but I think it's more fun to make your own! Below I have for you five simple ways to incorporate baking soda into your beauty routine.

1. Shampoo Alternative

I sometimes have issues with regular shampoos since my scalp is super sensitive. A few years ago I went on a complete shampoo detox and only used a baking soda to wash my hair, which completely changed my hair and scalp for the better. Since I started using this mixture I now use only sulfate free shampoos and then this a few times a month as a clarifier and my hair looks so much better than before my detox.

To make the mixture I use a bottle like this (but you can also use a water bottle) and put 4-6 tbsp. baking soda into 16 oz of warm water, and then shake to mix. I then get in the shower pour it over my roots, scrub my scalp, and rinse. It's important to make sure you rinse your hair very thoroughly to all the baking soda out of it. Condition as usual.

If you're looking to use this as a clarifying treatment I recommend doing this no more than two to three times a month. If you are planning on switching your regular shampoo for this make sure to only wash your hair every few days and condition generously to avoid drying it out; I also recommend doing coconut oil treatments to help keep hair extra soft.

2. Face and Body Scrub

With it's gentle, but gritty texture baking soda is perfect for scrubbing both your face and body. All you have to do is take baking soda and mix it with water to make a thick paste; you basically just want to take a few tablespoons of water and add small amounts of water to it until you've reached the desired consistency. Apply the mixture to wet skin (in the shower is best for your face and body!) and massage gently in a circular motion. When you're done scrubbing rinse off all of the scrub, pat dry, and apply lotion for super smooth skin.

3. Spot Treatment

Applying a baking soda paste to a pimple overnight will help to clear it up and dry it out quickly. There are several different mixtures to use, but my favorite, and the easiest, is just baking soda and water. Mix 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. water; you want a thick paste consistency so if it is too dry add more water, and if it is too watery add more baking soda. Take the mixture and apply to clean skin, allow it to dry before going to sleep, leave on overnight, and rinse off in the morning. You can repeat each night until your pimple has cleared up completely. You can find other baking soda spot treatment recipes like a Baking Soda Tea Tree Oil Paste here.

4. Teeth Whitening

Using baking soda is a really easy and inexpensive way to whiten your teeth. There's a few different ways that you can go about using baking soda to whiten your teeth depending on what you want to do. The most simple way is to wet your toothbrush, dip it in baking soda, and brush your teeth like you normally do, not only will this whiten your teeth, but it will clean your teeth very nicely. If you're like me and don't like taste of just brushing your teeth with straight baking soda put toothpaste on your toothbrush, then dip it in baking soda, and brush as usual for a better tasting way to whiten. Lastly you can mix 1 tsp. toothpaste, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide, and 1/2 tsp. water and brush your teeth with that, but only use this mixture once a week.

5. Face Mask

Face masks are probably my favorite beauty product to whip up in my kitchen. Baking soda is a great ingredient to use in your DIY masks as it will help with blemishes and blackheads. Mix 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. orange juice, you want it to have the consistency of a thinner paste so so if it is too dry add more orange juice, and if it is too watery add more baking soda. Apply this mixture to your face and leave on for twenty minutes, rinse off, pat dry, and moisturize as usual. This mask is meant to help with blackheads and the vitamin c in the orange juice will also help to brighten your skin. For other baking soda masks you can find countless recipes on Pinterest!

Do you use baking soda in your beauty routine? If so how do you use it?